WHAT IS THE NETUREI KARTA?

Neturei Karta opposed the establishment
of and retain all opposition to the existence of the so-called "State
of Israel"!

Neturei-Karta is the Aramaic term for "Guardians of
the City. The name Neturei-Karta originates from an incident in
which R. Yehudah Ha-Nassi (Rabbi Judah the Prince) sent R. Hiyya
and R. Ashi on a pastoral tour of inspection. In one town they asked
to see the "guardians of the city" and the city guard was paraded
before them. They said that these were not the guardians of the
city but its destroyers, which prompted the citizens to ask who,
then, could be considered the guardians. The rabbis answered, "The
scribes and the scholars," referring them to Tehillim (Psalms) Chap.
127. (Jerusalem Talmud, Tractate Hagiga. 76c).

The name was given to a group of Orthodox Jews in
Jerusalem who refused (and still refuse) to recognize the existence
or authority of the so-called "State of Israel" and made (and still
make) a point of publicly demonstrating their position, the position
of the Torah and authentic unadulterated Judaism.

The group was founded in Jerusalem, Palestine in
1938, splitting off from Agudas Yisroel. Agudas Yisroel was established
in 1912 for the purpose of fighting Zionism. Gradually lured
by money and honor they sold out to the "Golden-Calf" (see Exodus,
XXXII) of Zionism. Those who wanted to maintain their faith and
continue the struggle against Zionism, dissociated themselves from
Agudas Yisroel and associated parties.

Over the years, a number of Neturei Karta activists
and followers settled outside of Palestine. Some of the reasons
that these individuals abandoned the country in which they and their
families had lived for many generations (having lived there many
years prior to the establishment of the illegitimate so-called "State
of Israel") include; ideological refusal to live under the illegitimate
heretical "Israeli" regime, their being exiled by the Zionist government
for their insistence of remaining independent of the illegitimate
heretical regime or them being unable to live a normal family life
due to them and their families being persistently harassed, repeatedly
incarcerated and many times even physically tortured by the Zionist
police and agents. This dispersion resulted in the emergence of
various Neturei Karta establishments on the broader international
scene. These establishments include synagogues, educational institutions,
publishing houses and organizations. The establishments in New York
include three synagogues in Brooklyn (Boro Park and Williamsburg),
three upstate, and organizations include the Friends of Jerusalem
in NY, NY.

Neturei Karta is not - as is often alleged - a small
sect or an extremist group of "ultra-orthodox" Jews. The Neturei
Karta have added nothing to nor have they taken anything away from
the written and oral law of the Torah as it is expressed in the
Halacha and the Shulchan Aruch. The Neturei Karta are fighting the
changes and inroads made by political Zionism during the past one-hundred
odd years. Guided by the rabbis of our time and under the inspiring
leadership of the late Reb Amram Blau, the Neturei Karta refuse
to recognize the right of anyone to establish a "Jewish" state during
the present period of exile.

There are those who wish to play down the Neturei
Karta and its' Torah-true beliefs. This has been attempted many
a time by stating that the Neturei Karta is a minority group and
that compared to other Jewish groups the Neturei Karta aren't even
noticeable in terms of number.

The name Neturei Karta is a name usually given to
those people who regularly pray in the Neturei Karta synagogues
(Torah Ve'Yirah Jerusalem, Torah U'Tefillah London, Torah U'Tefillah
NY, Beis Yehudi Upstate NY, etc.), study in or send their children
to educational institutions run by Neturei Karta, or actively participate
in activities, assemblies or demonstrations called by the Neturei
Karta. Although it is true that the number of families which could
be classified as Neturei Karta members or activists per-se is relatively
small (several thousand), the number of Orthodox Jews who believe
in the anti-Zionist ideology which Neturei Karta is known for, number
in the hundreds of thousands.

Neturei Karta oppose the so-called "State
of Israel" not because it operates secularly, but because the entire
concept of a sovereign Jewish state is contrary to Jewish Law.

All the great rabbis who in accordance with Jewish
Law opposed Zionism at its inception did not do so merely due to
consideration of the secular lifestyles of the then Zionist leaders
or even for their opposition to Torah heritage and rejection of
its values and practices, but due to the fact that the entire concept
of a Jewish state is in direct conflict with a number of Judaism's
fundamentals.

Condemnation of and segregation from anything connected
to or affiliated with the so-called modern day "State of Israel"
is based on the Talmud, the key fundamental doctrine of the Oral
Tradition handed down by G-d to Moses on Mt. Sinai. The Talmud in
Tractate Kesubos (p. 111a), teaches that Jews shall not use human
force to bring about the establishment of a Jewish state before
the coming of the universally accepted Moshiach (Messiah from the
House of David). Furthermore it states that we are forbidden to
rebel against the nations and that we should remain loyal citizens
and we shall not attempt to leave the exile which G-d sent us into,
ahead of time.

Jews are not allowed to dominate, kill, harm
or demean another people and are not allowed to have anything to
do with the Zionist enterprise, their political meddling and their
wars.

Neturei Karta forbid any participation with the so-called
"State of Israel" or any of its subsidiaries. Neturei Karta followers
do not participate in "Israeli" elections nor do they accept any
aid from "Bituach Le'Umi" (Social Security), and the educational
institutions of the Neturei Karta reject any form of financial support
from the so-called "Va'ad HaYeshivos" (equiv. to Department of Education).

The Zionist state employs a set of chief rabbis and
uses religious parties to ornament their state with a clerical image.
They study the Torah with commentaries altered to clothe the words
with nationalistic nuances. Our rabbis have countless times proclaimed
that it matters little which individuals or parties govern in the
Zionist state because the very establishment and existence of the
state itself is to be condemned and to be deplored.

The true Jews remain faithful to Jewish belief
and are not contaminated with Zionism.

The true Jews are against dispossessing the
Arabs of their land and homes. According to the Torah, the land
should be returned to them.

Neturei Karta deplore the systematic uprooting of
ancient Jewish communities by the Zionists, the shedding of Jewish
and non-Jewish blood for the sake of Zionist sovereignty and the
Neturei Karta favor a peaceful transition from the present Zionist
rule to a non-Zionist entity.

According to Judaic Law the Torah has the last word.
There is no such thing as a majority of Jews who happen to be Jewish
by birth who can alter Torah Law in any way. In fact even the greatest
rabbi or as Maimonides writes, "even the greatest prophet" [referring
actually to an authentic prophet], has no right to distort or amend
even one letter of the Torah.

Rabbi Blau stated shortly before his death that the
acceptance by the United Nations of the Zionist state as a member
state constituted a grave injustice to the Jewish people. Neturei
Karta hope that this great error will be corrected at the earliest
opportunity. The Neturei Karta regret that the Zionist state has
usurped the holy name of Israel and that the Zionists so often pretend
to speak in the name of the Jewish people and assume the right to
act on our behalf. Only those rabbis who have not been affected
or influenced by the poison of Zionism, can be considered the spiritual
leaders of today's Jewry.

The world must know that the Zionists have illegitimately
seized the name Israel and have no right to speak in the name of
the Jewish people!